Former Rhode Island State Senator Pell Dies at Age 90

Pell, perhaps best known nationally for the college grant program that bears his name, focused heavily on education, the arts and humanities, and foreign affairs during his 36 years in the Senate. During the latter part of his Senate career, he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

As his family noted in the statement, the courtly Pell often expressed the definition of his job in seven words: "translate ideas into actions and help people."